By Caitlin Francis, Assistant Teacher
“What we need are people at the front lines who can be constantly reflective about the needs of young children” (D. Castleberry). This quotation is from a presentation that Bing teacher Laura Berquist delivered about observational and anecdotal note-taking during this spring’s staff development day, held in April 2011. Castleberry’s statement nicely summarizes the importance of such days for Bing teachers and staff. The day’s primary focus was using teachers’ skills as observers of children in combination with the surrounding community’s resources to stay attuned to the needs of the children in our classrooms.
The day began with a talk from Douglas Fredrick, MD, a clinical professor at Stanford University and pediatric ophthalmologist at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital. He spoke about preschoolers’ vision, including when and how it is assessed, and the classroom symptoms that could suggest vision problems. Fredrick also discussed a variety
of problems and their treatments, from refractive error (near- or far-sightedness and astigmatisms) to amblyopia (dull vision). Because of children’s great ability to adapt, vision problems are easily missed in preschoolers, Fredrick explained. He also conveyed that children’s vision is different from that of the adults, as children do not typically acquire “normal” adult 20/20 vision until age four or five at the earliest. In fact, most preschool children have 20/40 vision. The distance a child can see is not as important as their eyes’ symmetry—the ability of both eyes to see the same way and same distance, Fredrick emphasized. He also highlighted the importance of referring parents to their primary pediatrician to screen their children’s vision starting at age three.
Next the staff received an update from Samuel McClure, PhD, an assistant professor in psychology at Stanford. McClure introduced his newest research about the mechanisms of time discounting that is being conducted at Bing. The new study is based loosely on the famous “marshmallow study” involving impulse control in children. (See page 8 for more information).
After breaking for lunch, Berquist spoke about observational and anecdotal note-taking in the classroom. As skilled observers of children, Bing teachers can use note-taking to chart children’s progress throughout the year. Berquist concluded with details about methods of note-taking and recordkeeping.
The day concluded with a discussion with Sonali Bhagat, speech-language pathologist, and Kianna Collier, occupational therapist, two staff members at Children’s Health Council. They presented a thorough overview of the Children’s Health Council’s resources for teachers and families, detailing the populations the organization serves, and explaining its vast number of programs.
This spring’s staff development day provided a great chance for staff members to learn from a variety of community members about the multitude of resources that are locally available. It was also a good opportunity for the teachers to pause and reflect, as Castleberry suggested, on how to best meet the needs of young children.